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State Budget 2017: Trains return to the heart of Port Adelaide after a 36-year absence
Miles Kemp, The Advertiser
24 minutes ago

A NEW 1km rail link will connect Port Adelaide’s commercial centre and the Dock One residential precinct to the Adelaide CBD for the first time in 36 years.
The $16.4 million train station and spur line will lead to a new railway station at Baker St, in the heart of the Port, the Government announced in the State Budget on Thursday.

Transport Minister Stephen Mullighan said that when the new line opened, Port Adelaide residents would be able to catch regular train services from a modern, safe and accessible station at the site of the current Jacketts Station at the National Railway Museum.

“The new station will be located on the doorstep of the Dock One waterfront redevelopment which will include more than 750 new townhouses and apartments, a refurbished Marine and Harbours building, and waterfront boardwalk,’’ he said.

“Construction will start next year and will support 48 jobs during construction.”

National Railway Museum executive officer Bob Sampson sad the new link would be a “huge benefit” for Port Adelaide’s businesses, events and local attractions.

Port Adelaide Mayor Gary Johanson said he was “really excited” because the project would open up the inner area of the Port.

“Which is so important if we are going to engage with the people and really say the Port is an open place for people to work and visit,’’ he said.

“You need to have the transport hub in the centre of the Port and the existing station is at the very quiet end of Port Adelaide. Tourists from overseas have given us some very bad feedback over the years."

Since 1981, the line has passed well to the south of the town centre but the project will include reconstruction and duplication of the spur line from the existing Outer Harbor line at Grand Junction Road before the line crosses Port Rd.

It comes as Mr Mullighan confirmed he had submitted business cases to Infrastructure Australia for two major transport projects on the same day the State Budget was handed down.

Mr Mullighan has pledged funds to upgrade a stretch of the North-South corridor from Regency Road to Pym Street and complete the Gawler line electrification project, but says both are contingent on Federal Government funding.

He maintained earlier business cases were complete but said the further submission was done so “we can’t have any further allegations from anyone at the Commonwealth level that the work hasn’t been done by South Australia”.

ChillyPhilly wrote:Now this is some surprising late night reading.

Port Adelaide to get new train station served by 1km rail spur

Work is to start next year on a new rail line into the heart of Port Adelaide with a train station to be built in Baker Street, close to the Dock One residential precinct.

Train services into the centre of the Port were discontinued back in 1981, and the old Port Dock Station was demolished in 1989, making way for a police station and courts on the site.

Transport Minister Stephen Mullighan said a modern train station would give impetus to the rejuvenation of the suburb.

"Better access to public transport will encourage more people to come to live in this unique waterfront district and also encourage people to visit the Port," he said.

"We know that people want public transport services close to where they work and close to where they live.

"Having train services close to the new housing development, but also close to where we are relocating 500 public servants to work, will be a huge boost for the centre of the Port."

The SA Government allocated $16.4 million in this week's state budget for the new rail station which will be served by a 1-kilometre spur line off the existing Outer Harbor rail line.

Mr Mullighan said the new service would not interfere with operations of the National Railway Museum, which is in the same part of Port Adelaide.

"We've got a lot of work to do with the museum to make sure that what we're doing is a benefit to them and doesn't harm their operations in any way," he said.

"We also need to talk to the council and some of the other land owners to make sure we're delivering this in a way that benefits everybody."

Rail museum welcomes train station
Railway Museum executive officer Bob Sampson said the spur line would be a boost for both the attraction and the wider area.

"Our railway museum has been established at Port Adelaide for almost 30 years and this announcement to bring suburban passenger services into the heart of our city is a huge benefit for Port Adelaide's businesses, events and local attractions," he said.

"Whilst there are some important business and operational issues that the railway museum is working through with [the Department of Transport], we remain positive that the eventual outcome will be great for both our museum and those who live, work and enjoy Port Adelaide as a whole."

Port Adelaide-Enfield Mayor Gary Johanson said the rail project would improve access to the Port for growing numbers of office workers, residents and tourists.

"We're going sort of back to the future, or back to the past almost, but looking at the future and it's going to be very well received by tourists because it's going to deliver people right into the heart of the Port around the museum precinct," he said.

Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis said it was part of ongoing efforts to improve Adelaide's public transport network.

"Three years ago this Government made a commitment to keep building South Australia [and] since then we have invested hundreds of millions of dollars to improve our public transport network," he said.

"This budget is capitalising on the work we've already done to encourage more people to catch buses, trains and trams."

Nathan wrote:Spur line is great, but, when will DPTI learn what a station is and stop building bus stops? This has an opportunity to create a great station building that incorporates the railway museum, but no, we don't do things like that.

PeFe wrote:Hopefully this new station is such a hit ( and coming at a time when the Port appears to be taking off) that the light rail idea will be abandonned.

Also thinking about operating practicalities....how about this this
1)Turn the Grange line into a spur only line, commuters would always change at Woodville. This has been done in the past as a temporary measure and seemed to work quite well.
2) City - Port Adelaide all stops train
3) City - Woodville express then all stops to Outer Harbor

Electrify the Port Adelaide/Outer Harbor line, leaving diesel trains to service Grange, before making a final decision on the status of the Grange line (I favour light rail including a new line to West Lakes, transferring to heavy rail at Woodville)